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Cursed Vaults
The Cursed Vaults were five legendary hidden rooms at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, each vault shielded by a different curse placed on it. Some alleged that the vaults housed priceless treasures such as gold, prophecies, and other powerful magical artefacts dating back to before the school was founded while others believed they contained Dark Magic. Their origin is uncertain, and it is possible that they dated back to before the founding of the school. Before Jacob proved they existed, most believed the Cursed Vaults to be nothing more than a legend. History Albus Dumbledore's research into the vaults revealed that a terrible amount of work had gone into their construction and that one could only guess that whatever they were built to hold, it followed that it was even more incredibly dangerous and complex than the magic used to make the vaults themselves, not to mention that whatever they contained would be likely to be far more terrible. The origin of the vaults has been forgotten. Among the many theories circulating, Albus Dumbledore mentions two, that they were created by the Hogwarts founders themselves or that they were created by a Headmaster who suffered from paranoia, but he might have been trying to discourage Jacob's sibling from continuing their research into the vaults. The Gryffindor House ghost, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, later explained to the same student that because Hogwarts Castle was always intended as a safe place, the school shouldered the responsibility of safeguarding and protecting that which was dangerous from falling into the wrong hands, and carrying the burden of the job remarkably well despite the fact that subsequent heads of the school and members of the faculty came to recognise how it, to some extent, compromised the security of the castle. Sir Nicholas believed that while there was a general consensus among those who believed that the Cursed Vaults were real that they were most likely originally made to protect something dangerous by people wanting to take advantage of the school's ever-changing floorplan to make their locations more difficult to find, it was also possible that the vaults were created around something dangerous that could not be moved. Over the centuries, numerous individuals had been overheard discussing the Vaults by Sir Nicholas throughout his time as a spectral resident at the castle. Among them were the Professors Fortinbras and Bartholomew, who were involved in the creation of a 'circle of trust' consisting of a group of teachers and students who all worked together researching the vaults with the intent of putting an end to the threat they posed to the school. Ultimately unsuccessful, both of the aforementioned teachers left behind the fruits of their work for those who came after, hoping that they might succeed where they failed and solve the mystery. During her school career, Patricia Rakepick did research into the existence and reportedly tried to warn her teachers of the existence of the Cursed Vaults, to no avail. At some point during his magical education, a student named Jacob went looking for those vaults, endangering the whole school in the process, for which he was expelled. The vaults are connected to the cursed ice found in the school. During the 1984–1985 school year, the ice that had been securely contained within a locked room in the fifth floor of the castle, which once nearly spread throughout the school, broke free from the room and began to not only spread once more but also turned out to have become impervious to the Knockback Jinx, which previously had been sufficient to shatter it. Minerva McGonagall believed that this was because someone tampered with the vaults. According to an unknown person believed to be Jacob by his sibling, the final vault is the real one, with the prior four vaults being traps or decoys. Vault of Ice One of the vaults was located at the end of the Vanished Stairs hidden by a wall on the fifth floor. The magical door was covered in ice, and attacked those who touched it or tried to use the Fire-Making Spell on it. After Jacob's sibling, Bill Weasley, and a friend made their way into the vault using the Fire-Making Spell and defeated the Ice Knight, they found a broken wand and a book inside. Jacob's sibling heard a warning from their brother which was spoken through the vaults, which the other two could not hear, telling them not to let "her" find the other four vaults. The book only contained drawings and scribblings. Vault of Fear Another one of the vaults, the Vault of Fear, was found by Jacob's Sibling and their friends in the 1986–1987 school year. It was hidden behind a bookcase in the Restricted Section in the library. There were three bogarts inside that defended the Vault of Fear that looked the same as the Vault of Ice but as described by Jacob's sibling "way more scarier." To open the vault you had to touch a broken wand. Inside it was a map of the Forbidden Forest and a broken arrow. Forest Vault Another one of the vaults, the Forest Vault, was found by Jacob's Sibling and their friends in the 1987–1988 school year. It was hidden in a grove of the Forbidden Forest. Its entrance was defended by an Acromantula, which put its lair there to feed on sleepwalking students. Torvus described the inside of it as "incredible". To open the vault you had to touch the Centaur colony's arrow. Inside it was the portrait of a dragon and a small sweater. Inside the vault, Jacob's sibling received a warning from their brother which was spoken through the vaults, which the other could not hear, telling them that only the final vault was real, that the others were traps and decoys but also that he was trapped in the next one. Portrait Vault Another one of the vaults was explored by Jacob, Patricia Rakepick and Peter Pettigrew. During this journey, the three encountered the dragon guarding the vault. Pettigrew escaped, leaving Rakepick and Jacob behind. The two managed to enter the vault thanks to Jacob's Legilimency but did not defeat the dragon. When entering, Jacob was trapped inside a portrait while Rakepick was sent to the Forbidden Forest. Years later, in the 1988–1989 school year, Rakepick entered the vault along with Jacob's sibling and their friends. This time, they managed to defeat the dragon, and Jacob's sibling used Legilimency to open the door to the vault. Rakepick then revealed her true plan and attempted to kill the students. They managed to stop her, and after the encounter, Rakepick escaped. Jacob's sibling entered the vault and found their brother. They managed to free him, but their reunion was brief as Jacob went after Rakepick. The students returned to Hogwarts using a portrait of the place. Vaults and locations *Vault of Ice: Behind the Vanished Stairs on the Icy Corridor, Fifth Floor *Vault of Fear: Behind the Restricted Section in the Hogwarts Library *Forest Vault: In a Forest Grove of the Forbidden Forest *Portrait Vault: Unknown location outside of Hogwarts. Behind the scenes *In , when venturing into the vaults, the player chooses between selective friends to bring along, with other people set to accompany them: Appearances * Notes and references fr:Caves maudites es:Bóvedas malditas ru:Проклятые хранилища Category:Cursed Vaults